TOEFL 2026 Teacher Kit

What this kit is

This kit helps you teach the current TOEFL Writing section without rebuilding materials from scratch. ETS replaced the old two-task writing section (an Integrated essay and a discussion/essay task) with three shorter, functional tasks in January 2026. Most textbooks and worksheets still in circulation were written for the old section, so students often practice the wrong skills.

The kit contains:

• A one-page overview of the three current tasks and how each is scored.
• A four-lesson unit plan (about 50 minutes per lesson) with objectives and timings.
• Printable worksheets via the three task packs: Build a Sentence, Write an Email, and Academic Discussion.
• Rubric guidance you can hand to students, plus a peer-review checklist.
• A sample scored feedback report you can project in class to show what task-specific feedback looks like.

The 2026 Writing section at a glance

Three tasks, about 23 minutes of base writing time in total. Source: ETS TOEFL iBT (format effective January 21, 2026).

A note on length, because older materials often invent rules here: ETS publishes no word-count requirement for Write an Email — the prompt tells students to write as much as they can in the 7 minutes — and for Academic Discussion says an effective response contains at least 100 words, with no published maximum (see the ETS 2026 test specifications). The 80-120 and 100-150 word ranges used in this kit and its task packs are Writing30 practice targets for classroom pacing — useful guidance, never official limits or score rules. Say that distinction out loud to students.

Since January 21, 2026, ETS reports each section — including Writing — as a band score from 1.0 to 6.0 in half-point increments (see ETS: understanding your scores). Many university requirements are still published on the previous 0-30 section scale, so score reports and prep tools also show comparisons to it — but 0-30 is the prior scale, not the current reporting format. If a resource teaches a 20-minute Integrated essay, a 30-minute Independent essay, or 0-30 as the current Writing score, it predates this format — see the resource accuracy audit for a checklist you can apply to any material.

Four-lesson unit plan

Lesson 1 — Format orientation and diagnostic (50 min)

• Objective: students can name the three tasks, their time limits, and the length guidance (email: no ETS word count; discussion: at least 100 words).
• 0-10 min: present the task table above. If students used older prep books, contrast explicitly: no more Integrated essay, no more 30-minute Independent essay.
• 10-35 min: timed mini-diagnostic — 3 Build a Sentence items (2 min), one email scenario (7 min), one discussion prompt (10 min). Use exercises 1-3 from each task pack.
• 35-50 min: pair review with the self-review checklists from the packs. Collect responses to gauge the class baseline.

Lesson 2 — Build a Sentence: grammar patterns (50 min)

• Objective: students apply subject-verb-object order, article placement, and adverb position under time pressure.
• 0-15 min: teach the four patterns in the Build a Sentence pack (word order, articles + nouns, agreement, adverb placement).
• 15-35 min: worksheet exercises 4-9 individually, 45 seconds per item to simulate pace.
• 35-50 min: board review — students explain why an arrangement is correct, not just which one.

Lesson 3 — Write an Email: structure and register (50 min)

• Objective: students produce an email in 7 minutes that covers all required points in an appropriate register (practice target: 80-120 words).
• 0-15 min: walk through the annotated model emails in the Write an Email pack; highlight greeting, purpose sentence, one sentence per required point, closing.
• 15-25 min: tone-sort activity — students classify phrase cards (from the pack's tone table) as formal, neutral, or too casual.
• 25-40 min: timed writing on scenario 4 or 5 (7 minutes), then a pacing check against the 80-120 word practice target.
• 40-50 min: peer review against the rubric dimensions below.

Lesson 4 — Academic Discussion: adding a distinct point (50 min)

• Objective: students state a clear position and add a point the peer posts have not made, in at least 100 words (practice target: 100-150).
• 0-15 min: analyze the model responses in the Academic Discussion pack: position, reason, example, and how each references a peer without repeating them.
• 15-25 min: position-defense round — assign stances on prompt 2 and have students defend them orally in 30 seconds first.
• 25-40 min: timed writing (10 minutes) on prompt 3.
• 40-50 min: swap-and-score with the pack checklist; discuss the most common miss (echoing a peer instead of adding a new point).

Rubric guidance

The two open-response tasks are scored 0-5 on the task rubric (practice tools, including Writing30, score in half-point steps). The score students receive from ETS is different: a Writing section band from 1.0 to 6.0 in half-point increments. When you grade or run peer review, work at the task-rubric level and score these dimensions separately so feedback stays specific:

• Content — does the response fully address the prompt and every required point?
• Organization — clear opening, one idea per sentence or paragraph, logical order, a closing move.
• Language use — grammatical accuracy and variety; word choice appropriate to the situation.
• Format and tone (email) — greeting/closing present, register matches the recipient. For discussions, judge engagement: does the response connect to the professor's question and the peers?

A practical anchor for band 4 versus 5: a 4 usually covers all points with minor language slips; a 5 also reads naturally and varies sentence structure. The sample scored report shows a 4/5 email with the specific edits that separate it from a 5 — useful to project when you introduce the rubric. Scores out of 30 that tools display (including Writing30's) are estimates on the pre-2026 comparison scale — useful for reading older admission requirements, but not the current official format and never an official ETS score; say that to students explicitly.

Classroom use, printing, and sharing

• Use the "Print or save as PDF" button on this page and on each task pack — navigation and buttons are stripped from the printout automatically.
• Copy freely for your classes with attribution to writing30.com. Do not resell the materials or republish them as your own.
• Students can browse scored sample responses and practice topics on Writing30 for free without an account. AI-scored practice with feedback is a paid subscription — if you want to evaluate it for a class, use the contact option below rather than assuming a free tier exists.

FAQ

Is the kit free to use in class?

Yes. The kit, worksheets, and task packs are free to read, print, and copy for classroom use with attribution to writing30.com. Writing30 AI-scored practice is a separate paid feature and is not required to use the kit.

Which TOEFL Writing tasks does the kit cover?

The three tasks in the format effective January 21, 2026: Build a Sentence (about 6 minutes), Write an Email (about 7 minutes; ETS sets no required word count), and Academic Discussion (about 10 minutes; ETS says an effective response has at least 100 words). The 80-120 and 100-150 word figures in the kit are Writing30 practice targets, not ETS limits.

Does the kit work for students who prepared with older TOEFL materials?

Yes. Lesson 1 includes an orientation that contrasts the current tasks with the retired Integrated Writing and Independent Essay tasks, so students who studied older materials can re-anchor quickly.